CHAPTER IV: TRANSMISSION OF THE PRECIOUS DHARMA
C. DOCTRINE
4. The Suchness Truth Period: Salvation at The High Level (Mahayana)
4.4 There Are Three Ways of Detecting Dharma Precepts
4.6 Worship with Faithful Mind
4.8 The Corresponding Theory and Act
4.9 Preaching on the Corresponding Response
4.10 Explanation of the Compatible Appearance
4.11 The Enlightenment about Nature
4.12 The Samadhi Dharma Subject of the Real Form and Formlessness
LORD MAITREYA AND LONG HOA
CHAPTER I: Bodhisattva Maitreya's Past Incarnations
CHAPTER II: Where Did I Come From?
CHAPTER III: Appearance as A Layman
CHAPTER IV: Transmission of The Precious Dharma
A. DHARMA PRACTICE IN CONFORMITY WITH THE SUPREME PRINCIPLE OF THE BUDDHAS
B. VIRTUE: Joyful Detachment Is Virtue
C. DOCTRINE
CHAPTER V: A Nation of Peace and Delight
4.11 The Enlightenment about Nature
The enlightenment about nature is inherently contained in human beings, especially in individuals with preference of the suchness nature, innate nature, and self-knowledge over the knowledge through imitating or studying and reciting the sutra. —T. V.
Every living being inherently has the Buddha nature. The Buddha nature is the suchness nature; it’s also one’s nature when not yet being polluted; it’s always clear and univerally illuminated all over without difference. But when living beings are doubtful and attached, it is hidden, called ignorance —that is when the Buddha nature becomes the Devilish nature. The Devilish nature usually manifests chaotic scenes creating karma. The karma leads living beings unceasingly into the cycle of birth and death. For Tao practitioners, who have studied a lot of sutras, not paying attention of correcting nature, their greedy, anger, and ignorance, of course, still remain. They’re, therefore, still subject to living being precepts, living in the three realms of desire, form, formlessness and in the six paths of Devas, humans, asuras, hungry ghosts, animals, and hell.
C. DOCTRINE
1. What Is the Enlightenment about Form?
2. The Salvation Guidance of Reverend Tịnh Vương, Incarnating Lord Supreme Maitreya
3. The Abstract Period: Salvation at The Low Level (Hinayana)
4. The Suchness Truth Period: Salvation at The High Level (Mahayana)
6. Teaching, Screening and Choosing Dharma Protectors, Venerables, and Bodhisattvas
8. The One-Essence Period of Salvation Through The One Level (Ekayana)
9. The Period of Unsurpassable Special-Principle: Salvation at The Supreme Level
For human beings from the far antiquity until now, they are living at the present but often hoping, illusorily thinking, and curious, and they thus become illusorily living. They only wish rather than correct their bad habits to become noble, ascending, and generous —if they are only with these qualities, they could understand thoroughly the sutra that is just barely passing on the level of their eyes, and thus there is no use of studying it. —T. V.
Tao practitioners often wish to see the Buddha descending from the heaven or to hear the instructions beside their ear, dreaming of phenomenal events. Few of them consent to observe Dharmas from seeing, hearing, and knowing, and to resolve the difficult situation whenever encountering it. If a Tao practitioner knows how to review and examine their mistakes in ascending manner, their mind and character will become natural; they will thoroughly comprehend the Buddha’s sutra naturally when reading it, without thinking nor studying to know it.
What a Tao practitioner’s achievement is corresponding to their conception. —T. V.
The practice way of a Tao practitioner will lead them to a result corresponding to their conception. For example, for a practitioner, who conceives that the Dharma practice should be noble, realizing in a quiet place far from the noisy world, their path is that of Fairy. For a practitioner, who practices Dharma only by thinking, studying, and learning, but not concentrating on correcting nature, their toxic pollution still remains; their path is that of Raksasa[84]. Because of wrong illusory thoughts, a Buddhist becomes a practitioner of the Fairy, Deity, or Holy path, and there are Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds, with wicked ghosts and devils.
In the path of practicing the Buddhist Dharma, practitioners should only worry about not knowing how to practice, but don't worry about not being liberated. —T. V.
There are Tao practitioners who have practiced Dharma, but without knowing the purpose of their practice. Some others are seeking for liberation, but do not know how to practice the Dharma subject of liberation; or believing in a master, but this master could not brightly affirm what the Dharma subject of liberation is. They are therefore seeking for liberation through their conception. Should be only afraid of practicing the Dharma subject of liberation incorrectly; the correct practice must lead to liberation. Don't seek for liberation through metaphysics in thousands of ways, and don't worry about not being liberated, rather should concentrate on the virtue, doctrine and sitting meditation. If all these three subjects are simultaneously advanced and harmonized, such a practitioner surely reaches the enlightenment about nature. The enlightenment about nature is the bright mind.
[84] Raksasa is a terrifying demon.
The intellectual and learned people need more labor of practicing Dharma than reading the sutra, while those of little education need to read the sutra rather than make practical deeds. —T. V.
Those of high education very need to practice in order to have the Self-Nature; they should avoid too much polluted habit in literature, aiming to attain the enlightenment about nature to know by themselves. For those of low education, they must read sutra to know thoroughly the doctrine and after that, they also must practice the Self-Nature, aiming at the enlightenment about nature. These two classes of living beings practicing Dharma are both impregnated, so they both need supplement to be neither increased nor decreased.
The speaking, coming from the speaker’s enlightenment, is the Buddha’s words. Otherwise, if not coming from self-enlightenment, speaking means the Devil’s preaching, illusive thoughts’ words. This paragraph requires much attention on the part of Tao practitioners. —T. V.
Those who cleared out their living beings’ natures are rare. They have already conducted their vows in the form and formless, the peaceful and unpeaceful harmoniously, and thus been capable of clearing out living being natures. They have already met the Buddha, have entered the rank of Bodhisattvas, and are waiting for the ordination of the Tathagata Buddha. Every one of their words is come from self-knowledge, that is the lively Dharma to save living beings in a practical manner. For the Dharma preaching, without clearing out the preacher’s living being natures and even after having learned and studied all the Three Constitutions of Sutras of the Buddha, it’s still the words of the Devil’s preaching, based only on the thoughts, not coming from the intuition.
The universe and humanity are all included in the circle of the mind generating. Whenever one startingly generates their mind of practicing the awareness of nature, the enlightenment about nature, one could be free from the mind generating. The one who is not caught by the mind generating is called the No-Birth; once clearing the mind, being truly enlightened, this one is called the awakened enlightenment. —T. V.
The Four Species including humankind, all are generating thoughts, running after the thoughts and thus, generating their nature. One’s nature is just one’s mind. Being led by nature and living with it, that is called “the mind generating”.
Once a Tao practitioner no longer generates wishes, having no more confused illusory thoughts, while their body-mind could control, dominate, and restrain their nature, they immediately reach the comprehensive attainment, being free from the mind generating. Only then, they are no longer involved in the mind generating. So, how we should do? We should generate our mind, always observing the mind, not allowing it to lead us. Once we could control our mind, we are no longer generated, and thus no longer destroyed. The one with no more birth and death is called the ‘No-Birth’.
Those who are involved in the mind generating are called living beings. As living beings, they immediately distinguish the interior and the exterior of the body. The interior is the Dharma mind, and the exterior is the Dharma form. Because of that differentiation, the mind gets the control generating countless Dharmas. Tao practitioners of the Two-Levels (Dviyana) see the chaos, they thus generate the destruction to attain the emptiness Dharma, becoming the birth-death, and yet not being aware of it, rather believing it to be the truth. By this mistake, they are activated in accordance with their moving conscious mind, forming confused thoughts unceasingly in the transmigration of birth and death.
For that reason, the Dharma practice is in great need of a Good-Intelligent-Awakened One, who is enlightened. It’s also because all Tao practitioners are the same, by just a short time of negligence, lacking control and management, they’re readily subject to the mind generating without being aware of it, and yet believing they are masters in a legitimate practice.
For example, for those who believe in the Buddha, practicing by reciting the sutras, including worshipping and kowtowing, the mind generating makes them become superstitious and satisfied. If someone told them to correct their nature, give up their bad habits, they would get angry, hateful without wanting to look at that person’s face anymore.
For example, the long-term practice of worshipping and praying has become compassionate, but not intelligent. Therefore, such a Tao practitioner does not know to review what is right and wrong, when seeing someone in suffering they become even more suffered than that one. It’s only because they are heavily inclined to the rooted goodness, and thus being attached and clinging to the concept—the Dharma practice must have pity on living beings in such manner. If there was someone doing bad things or saying cruel words, they would keep away from and hate that one, not having the intelligence to understand that the permanent characteristics of the wicked people with impregnated habits are cruel words and actions.
Only when they are afraid of cruelness and heartily reform themselves, seeking out a Good-Intelligent-Awakened One, who could show them the way to willingly leaving attachments and oppositions, they will become all-round understanding.